A shaky break up
by MarshalMallow
Summary: Soul and Maka go through a rough breakup Note. Work in progress
1. Chapter 1

Unnamed Soul Eater fic

The dim, drooling sun set behind the DWMA. It's spires casting long shadows across the city of Shibusen. The dark crept over the ground and climbed the walls. Seeping through cracks it slowly took over the city until the moon, grinning sadistically, appeared over the horizon. The moonlight did little to shift the darkness.

Silence reigned over the academy and city. Nothing dared to disturb the noiseless night.

Soul sat at his desk, staring blankly into the darkness, replaying the argument that happened only an hour before. The things he should have said danced through his mind and fuelled the anger he felt towards himself. He felt like screaming everything he wanted to say for the world to hear. But he couldn't. He should have told someone else. Anyone. Anyone, it seemed, but Maka.

His bed was cold and unfamiliar. He had not slept in his own room for months. The sheets felt stiff, and the mattress rock hard. There was an emptiness that hung in the very air around him. Begrudgingly climbing underneath the sheets, a sense of defeat washed over him.

"I suppose I should probably get used to this" he thought as he pulled the sheets over his scarred chest.

"Maybe things will be cooler in the morning". Pondering this thought. Soul drifted into a restless sleep.

Maka had no such luck.

She sobbed silently in her bed. Clutching the sheets to her face as tears started to roll down her cheeks. This wasn't what she wanted, but it's what she had. Upon thinking this, Maka stifled another sob into the sheets. Falling back, she glanced at the empty side of her bed. As her head hit the pillow her eyes drew towards an item on the nightstand.

Soul's headband lay draped over a picture frame. Housed in the border was a photo taken not too long ago. Maka saw her own face smiling back at her, along with Soul's cocky smirk. It was taken at the park in the spring. Couples were picnicking in the background and children were playing. The blossom from the trees lay peacefully on the lake.

Maka started to tear up. Grabbing the frame and headband in one hand, she opened up a drawer with the other and forcefully shoved both items into it. Slamming the drawer, she lay face down on her pillow. Her thoughts bounced around in her brain but one thing she was sure of.

Men fucking suck.


	2. Chapter 2

Maka woke to the sound of frying bacon. The smell wafted in under her door and hung in the air, like it was calling her into the kitchen. Pulling on a jumper that hung down to her knees to cover herself, she wandered over to the door and pulled it ajar. Maka peered through the gap between the door and the frame, and watched as Soul placed the bacon onto a plate accompanied by an egg and some toast. It looked delicious. Maka crept back to her bed and pretended to sleep. She had not forgotten the argument that transpired the night before. And it would take more than a nice breakfast to make up for it. Footsteps approached the door.

Soul knocked three times on Maka's door. No answer. Knocking again, he heard the rustling of sheets and a quiet call to enter. Soul took a deep breath and pushed the door open.

"Hey Maka, I made you breakfast." he chimed, trying to sound as cheerful as possible without being creepy. His blue t-shirt stood out in the early morning light. Maka sat up in her bed. She had been crying. Her eyes were red and there were dark circles around her eyes.

"She's had a worse nights sleep than I've had" thought Soul "Man, I do not feel cool right now"

Maka's eyes met his, and she thanked him for the food. Her voice sounded hollow and tired. Soul left the plate on the nightstand along with the cutlery. Glancing over to his own nightstand, he noticed the picture was missing. He spotted his headband poking out of the drawer. Hesitantly, he walked around the bed. He knew what was in the drawer, but he daren't open it, so he tugged at the headband until it came away from the drawer. He left the room in silence,closing the door behind him. Maka slumped into her pillow. She wasn't hungry.

Soul stood with his back against Maka's door. He knew it would take more than just a cooked breakfast to make up for what he'd done, but he was damn sure he's make up for it somehow.

Walking back to the kitchen, Soul pulled his jacket from the coat stand and slipped it on as he sat down to his bowl of cereal. As he went to eat it, a black cat jumped onto the counter, knocking a carton of orange juice off of the counter. Soul grabbed it without looking with his free hand and set it back on the table.

"Hey Blair" he greeted between chewing. The cat spoke back

"Meow. You're up real early. What's the matter? Did you argue with Maka again last night?" Blair tilted her head slightly with the question, her pointed hat staying perfectly on top of her head.

"I don't wanna talk about it" Soul said dismissively. Blair seemed taken aback by the comment and leapt off the counter with her head held aloft.

"Well if you wanna play with me, you only have to say" was the last thing Soul head from Blair as she disappeared behind the sofa. The next thing he saw was a large breasted, purpled haired woman in a hat matching that of the cat getting up from behind the sofa. She was naked.

"Gah! Blair if you're gonna do that in front of me would you at least transform with clothes!" shouted Soul. A trickle of blood came from his nose as he looked at his cereal.

"Oh be quiet silly. I can't shower in my clothes can I?" and with that, Blair half walked, half skipped towards the bathroom.

The sound of running water filled the apartment.


	3. Chapter 3

The sun was now fully in the sky and lit the city with a wide eyed, deep laugh. Only the alleys and the earth beneath Soul's feel were in darkness. Soul walked not with his usual cocky strut, but shuffling and slumped over. He walked to the basketball court, which was surprisingly empty given the glorious day. Shuffling over to a bench, Soul slumped onto the seat and stared at the empty court. Pulling out his phone, he sighed as he saw he had no replies. News travels fast in Shibusen. The whole city probably knows by now. Soul closed his eyes and sat in the fresh breeze for a while.

"Hey" came a voice from behind.

Soul opened his eyes, shielding them from the sun with his arm. Twisting his neck, he turned around to see who had spoken. Surprised with who he was faced with, he stood up and turned to face them.

"What are you doing here. You think I want you around after what happened?" Yelled Soul, his voice ripe with anger. In the space before him stood Kim Diehl, the lampmiester. She looked back at him with an evil smirk before averting her gaze to the ground. The smirk remained.

"Patty told me you'd be here, bless her soul, she means well but she has no idea what is going on. Your friends have abandoned you, you know." She glanced at Soul to see how her words had affected him. Soul had not moved. Staring at the floor he muttered something beneath his breath. He shook as he slowly turned away, trying not to lose his cool. This was the girl who had caused all of this. He knew he couldn't trust her, but what she was saying could very well be true. Why wouldn't they abandon him, if he hates himself what's stopping other people from doing the same?

"Why are you telling me this. It's not like I don't know!" replied Soul "Now get out of here. I don't want people spreading more rumours."

"But what happened that night wasn't a rumour. Was it Soul?" The smirk had returned "You and me, after the party at Kid's place. I must admit though" she grinned "I did rather enjoy that rumour"

"You shut your mouth right now and get the hell away from me!" Soul snapped and spun around to look Kim in the eye "You ruined Maka and I's relationship and you've probably screwed us up as partners too! What else do you want from me?". A silence filled the air, only broken by the laughter of the sun and the rustling of leaves.

"What do I want from you?" Kim repeated. "I want nothing."

"So what? You did this as some kind of sick joke? For your own amusement?"

"Well I can't say I didn't have fun watching you two fall apart as partners, but you'll never find out why I really did it. Well I've enjoyed our little chat Soul. See you around" she blew a kiss at Soul and winked. Soul didn't take his eyes off of her as she walked away into the shadows.

Soul hadn't moved from the bench for most of the day. The sun was lower in the sky now and shadows were starting to creep along the ground. The sun had also decided to have a try at whistling but after a few meagre attempts, ending in rather rude noises, it decided it would just remain silent for a while.

Soul checked his phone for the third time in a half hour. The lack of communication wasn't a surprise to him any more. Slipping it into his pocket, he slumped even further down on the bench. He contemplated going home and listening to music to try to cheer himself up. But he wasn't sure if Maka would be there or not. And another confrontation was not what he wanted right now.

He jumped as his phone started vibrating. Taking it out of his pocket he checked the caller I.D. Death the Kid.

The phone kept vibrating as it waited for him to decide whether to answer or not. Soul decided and pressed the accept button.

"Hello?"

"No you idiot!" came the voice from the other end of the line "it only rang seven times! You should have waited for eight rings! It is physically impossible to-"

"Cut the number seven in half in any direction. Yeah I know." Interrupted Soul "What do you want Kid?" Kid let out one last symmetry denied whimper before answering the question

"I was going to ask you if you wanted to come over and talk. Liz and Patty are worried about you and I am too for that matter. So If you want to... Dinner is at eight and we'd enjoy your company"

Soul hesitated for a moment. He was not expecting a dinner invitation after all.

"Sounds cool, I'll be there" Soul bid Kid farewell and ended the call. Getting up from the bench, he stretched and felt his joints click. Soul had always liked that noise. He started to walk in the direction of his apartment. After all, he couldn't show up to dinner at Kid's house looking under dressed.

* * *

((Authors notes: So this is my longest chapter so far, I'm sorry the others are so short but I get inspiration in bursts so shorter chapters are easier for me.

As for a plot, this chapter answers some questions I know some of you will be asking. I also have a grander scheme in mind for the story, but I'll let it develop over time.

I hope you're enjoying it for the time being and if you have any questions please feel free to PM me. Grammatical corrections can be left in the review section.

Thank you, Marshalmallow))


	4. Chapter 4

The night was clear and the moon was smiling high in the sky. The wind blew gently against Souls face as he made his way to Kid's mansion. It was, of course, perfectly symmetrical. Approaching the grandiose front doors, he took one last look at the impressive exterior of high arch windows and balconies as he stepped onto the porch. Soul rang the doorbell and waited. After a short pause the door opened to reveal a tall, brunette girl dressed in a flowing red gown.

"Hey Soul!" chimed the girl "Good to see you! How're you holding up?".

Soul smiled at her and straightened his tie. "Ah, you know, been better Liz. Can I come in?".

Liz smiled as she opened the door wide enough for Soul to pass through.

"We're eating in here tonight by the way" she said, as she gestured towards the living room "Kid was polishing the pictures in the dining hall when he accidentally knocked one on the floor. He fainted of course and he can't bear to go back so we're eating in here. Also, is take out food alright with you?"

"Yeah, sure" Soul said curiously "I though Kid would be cooking. He always cooks right?"

Liz looked towards the ceiling in embarrassment. "Yeah, but by the time he'd come round from fainting he didn't have enough time left to actually cook something."

Soul queried no more into the subject. Better to actually have something to eat than have Kid freaking out. He followed Liz into the living room and sat opposite Patty. They talked amongst themselves for a while before Kid came in with the food.

"Good evening Soul, glad you could make it! You're looking very smart, I appreciate the effort" he stated as he lay the tray of boxed noodles and a bowl of crackers on the coffee table.

"Thanks I guess" said Soul, remembering for the first time that evening that he was wearing a suit and tie.

The meal progressed on with a silence that seemed to be bursting with questions for Soul to answer. He knew they wanted to know exactly what happened and why he did it. But he also knew that they were too polite to bring it up.

"Sis" chimed Patty "Why are noodles called noodles?". The room was silent as Liz tried to think of an answer. The silence seemed to go on forever as everyone in the room pondered the answer.

Soul couldn't take the silence any longer.

"Hey Kid, how are things going with Crona?" He asked. It was a genuine question, not only asked to break the silence.

"My relationship stays as a personal matter thank you very much Soul" Kid answered, blushing slightly as he took another mouthful of his food.

"What I was only asking. I haven't seen Crona around lately, but I've got to admit he has been coming out of his shell a lot. You're doing him some good Kid" Soul took another bite as he let his words hang in the air. After a pause, Kid was lost for words and his mouth was working up and down like a goldfish. Eventually managing to form words, he spoke up.

"Thank you... Soul... And yes things are going fine."

"They've been practically inseparable for the past week" Liz chimed "The only reason he isn't here tonight is because he's at Maka's place keeping her compan~" Liz stopped in mid sentence knowing full well that she had said too much.

"Whoopsie!" Laughed Patty as she patted Liz on the back in her own consoling way. Liz turned bright red and tried her best to hide behind her food. Soul thought over what had just happened. Remembering what had happened jolted him back to the situation. Knowing he could either take it to heart and leave or make light of the situation, Soul made a choice.

"So, lover boy has other plans tonight then Kid?" He said, ending it with a loud laugh that he hoped sounded convincing. The others joined in with the laughter, relieved that nothing bad had come of it.

The rest of the evening went without any incident. Patty had fallen asleep in her chair and Crona had come back. And wherever he went after that, he took Kid with him, Leaving Soul and Liz alone together. The silence was awkward, but bearable. Soul didn't want to leave and seem rude. Taking a sip of his coffee, he glanced over to Liz, who, by his surprise, was already looking at him. She shied away and started staring into the fireplace.

"I'm sorry... for earlier" she confessed. "I really didn't mean to bring it up, I know it must be hard for you to deal with all of this going on at the moment and I know I probably didn't make things better. I'm so sorry Soul.". Soul looked at her

"It's cool, we all screw up sometimes" he grinned "and sometimes you just have to forget and move on. Be cool about it". Liz smiled at him and blushed.

Liz went to say something but stopped herself hoping Soul wouldn't notice. She stared at the fireplace again until Soul asked her if everything was okay. She said she was being stupid and not to worry about it.

"No, go on" Soul insisted. Liz kicked herself mentally for letting it slip out. But she stayed cool and calm as she asked Soul if he's like to go out for a coffee sometime. To talk things over properly.

Soul considered the offer for a moment. He did need someone to talk to, and he didn't have many other people he could go to at the moment. Accepting the offer, they agreed a meeting time and place. Deathbucks coffee bar at 11am. Just as they finalised the plans, Kid entered the room, followed shortly by Crona, who was holding his left arm tightly in his right hand.

"H-hey Soul" stuttered Crona.

"Hey buddy, how's it going?" Soul smiled back

"G-good. Th-thank you" Crona smiled back. Kid thanked Soul for coming and, after letting Soul say goodbye to Liz and Crona, accompanied him to the door. They bid farewell with a handshake.

"I'm always here if you need to talk Soul" Kid stated. Tightening his handshake in acknowledgement, he smiled as he turned to leave.

"This was a cool evening" He thought to himself. "I hope tomorrow is cool too". The midnight streetlamps guided Soul home through the night.

Liz sighed as she climbed into her bed.

"Nice one idiot" she muttered to herself "You're lucky you didn't blow your chances there and then.". She continued to mutter under her breath as she switched off her light and went to sleep. Looking forward to coffee tomorrow, she drifted off.


	5. Chapter 5

The scent of coffee beans hung in the air, lending a lazy quality to the atmosphere. Looking lazily out of the front window, the baristas idly stood around, moving occasionally to avoid taking root to the floor. Fresh pastries lay on display in the window but no passer by was tempted.

Having been sat in the coffee shop for half an hour already, Liz stared into her cold coffee as she waited for Soul to arrive. She was the only customer in the shop and the silence was only broken by the air conditioner unit blowing gently. Sighing as she stared ever longer into her coffee, Liz looked at her phone to check the time. Soul would be here in five minutes.

"Ugh, why did I get here so early?" she muttered to herself. She stood up to get herself another coffee. She ordered a small latte, shocking the barista out of his half-asleep state. After clumsily brewing Liz's coffee, the shop bell rang as a familiar figure walked in.

Entering Deathbucks, Soul let his eyes adjust to the relative gloom of the new surroundings. The furniture was coloured black and white with red higlights, reflecting the DWMA perfectly.

"Hey Liz" Soul said with a smile "Talk about timing huh? You look like you've just arrived". The barristers stood in silence and looked from Liz, to Soul, and back again. The silence lasted longer than any of them wanted. A bead of sweat formed on Liz's brow.

Soul broke "Uhhh... Are you okay Liz?". She still looked at him with a confused and desperate expression.

"Liz?"

"Uhh yeah she just got here." chimed one of the baristas "Yeah... Came in, put her bag under the table and ordered her coffee... Yep. That's what happened". The air stood silent again for a few seconds. Liz let out an internal scream as Soul looked from the barista to her.

"Well okay! Lets go sit down". Soul ordered a tall mocha and started walking towards the table while Liz left the barristas a large tip

Sipping their drinks, they idly chatted about recent events at the academy and how nice a day it was outside. They finished cup after cup off coffee as the conversation drew more and more intense. Before they knew it it was growing towards dusk. But still they sat and talked. Soul leant back in his chair and crossed his arms behind his head. Liz was actually pretty cool, he'd never really had a chance to speak with her before. Soul had liked the ease of conversation. There were silences of course, but it didn't feel awkward by any means at all. It was the first time Soul had been able to relax with someone. Letting himself smile, he looked over at Liz. To his surprise she was looking at the floor with a wistful look on her face.

"Hey what's up?" asked Soul worriedly. Liz sighed and looked at him.

"I want to know what happened" she said bluntly.

"What?" remarked Soul "You already know what happened, it's been spread around enough". He stuffed his hands into his jacket pockets and slouched into his seat.

"I know, but I want your side of the story. Things get twisted when they get passed from person to person" Liz waited for an answer. It didn't look like she'd get one at first. But after a while, Soul sighed.

"Okay. But not here" he said coldly, and he got up to leave. Liz followed after him, almost forgetting her purse.

Liz followed Soul in silence through the streets. They were making their way to the docks. She could hear the sound of the water lapping against the wooden struts of the pontoons. Soul walked over to the edge and sat down, looking far into the distance. Liz sat silently next to him, waiting for a response.

"It was when Kid threw that big party, remember the one? He hired a band and stuff for it." Soul took his keys from his pocket and started playing with them absent-mindedly. "Maka left early, said she had a headache and needed to study. I stayed and had a few drinks, next thing I remember was Kim being all over me. We had more drinks and I barely remember going up to the bedroom. I woke up the next morning in Kids guest room with Kim on top of me." He grabbed his keys in his fist as he remembered what had happened. Liz was shocked, she had no clue of what to say.

"Maybe..." she said softly "maybe, nothing happened, you went to bed together and that was it."

Soul let out a low chuckle. "Yeah, and maybe the empty condom wrapper got there by magic.". Liz was aghast. She has always thought so highly of Soul, and now this? No. No she couldn't let this one time ruin how she looked at him. Soul looked at Liz in the eye. He was holding back tears.

"It was the biggest mistake of my life..."

((I got some serious writers block when I started this, I'm glad it's not come out too badly in the end. Updates will be fewer and further between from now on. I'm back at college so I can't spend my days laying around writing.

See you around. Marshalmallow))


	6. Chapter 6

Moonlight poured in through Makas open window, giving everything an eerie blue glow. Long shadows blurred onto the wall as they lazily made their way across the room. Standing tall, a pile of books and papers inhabited Makas desk. A pen and pencil sat beside them. Dwarfed.

Maka stared at the tower of reading material, noting that every book and report was homework to finish. She knew it needed to be done, some of it was due the next day and she knew that Stein was strict on homework and she'd be in detention for a week if she didn't do it. And detention with Stein was something Maka couldn't bare to think about.

Thoughts danced through her mind. How could he do it? _Why_ would he do it? And how was she supposed to carry on at school when her mind was a mess? Dropping her head onto the table with a "thump", Maka let out a groan. The door creaked open behind her, sending a bright shaft of light scampering along the carpet and climbing the wall.

"Maka?" whispered a familiar female voice "are you in here?". Blair pushed the door open wider, spreading the light over the entire room. She spotted Maka slumped over her desk and walked towards her, transforming into her cat form as she jumped onto the pile of books, which wobbled, but didn't fall. Staring at the back of Makas lowered head, she purred slightly to get attention. No response.

"Mrow...mrow?"

"Go away Blair... I'm studying" replied Maka

"Yeah, it sure looks like it, I know how you organise your desk Maka, this is your 'In' pile I'm balancing on" Blair stated. -And a pretty good job of it too- she thought.

"Yeah well... UGH! I can't take it!" yelled Maka. Swinging her arms to the side, she knocked both the tower of books and Blair flying. Howling as she flew through the air, Blair transformed back into human form. Pulling off an impressive mid-air rotation, she landed perfectly on her feet. Seemingly ruffled by the ordeal, Blair twirled around.

"What in the hell was that for~...Oh."

Maka was crying. She tried to hold back the tears by breathing in deeply, but it made no difference. This was a pain she had never let show before. Being hurt countless times in fights, being stabbed by black blood repeatedly and being punched in the face. All things that hurt less than this. But this was worse. This pain was from inside.

Tears poured from her eyes onto her desk, her arms sprawled over her head.

"I can't take it anymore! Soul is gone! And I can never take him back." Maka blurted though the sobs and tears. Blair was speechless. She walked slowly over to Maka and placing a hand on her back, purred. She did not know if it would help, but she was sure it would show her support.

"#sniff#... Thank you, Blair" whispered Maka huskily. Calming herself down, Maka took one more deep breath before raising her head. Wiping the remnants of tears from her eyes with her sleeve, a determined look grew on her face. -I will beat this- she thought to herself.

"Right! Blair? Help me pick up these books. I will not end up in detention tomorrow! Oh and Blair? Could you do me a favour and make me a coffee? I'm going to need it!"

Blair mewed in response as she began to pick up the scattered books. When they were returned to the rightful place on the desk, Blair bounced off into the kitchen. Maka sat at her desk with her pen in hand and grabbed the first page from the top of the pile. Writing furiously, she muttered words and phrases to herself as she went. -No detention for me!- she thought as she quickly finished off the first sheet.

The next morning. Maka sat in class staring blankly at the blackboard. Dark circles had formed around her eyes and her left eye had a caffeine induced twitch to it. As her eyes closed and sleep welcomed her, she jolted awake and scolded herself for nodding off. She took another swig of coffee from her travel mug and looked over at Steins desk. Makas work sat perched in the middle, towering over Steins pots of various dangerous looking dissection tools. -And it's the only one up there- she thought to herself as she let a smile creep across her face.

"Maka?" a familiar voice questioned "You look awful, did you sleep last night?" Maka turned to see Tsubaki, wearing her usual beaming smile. Maka also noticed that she was wearing a very smart suit with a pencil skirt.

"Huh? No I was up all night working on Steins projects" she answered wearily "It sure was a lot of work to do for one night. Anyway, what's with the suit? You look great by the way" Maka took another swig of coffee and hoped that the caffeine would kick in again soon.

"Oh thank you! I'm actually just helping the library today, but they have important visitors so I had to look smart" Tsubaki smiled. Maka always admired her ability to remain smiling no matter what the situation. "But, wasn't all that work supposed to be handed in on~"

The door slammed open as Stein came careening into the classroom on his office chair. He skilfully meandered his way around stray chairs, stools and students as he performed a lap of the room before finally ending up at his desk. Albeit facing the wrong way.

"Okay class, no dissection today. You have a lot of other work to be working on and it all needs to be done okay?" He swiveled in his chair so that he faced the class and not the blackboard. Faced with a pile of books in front of him, a confused look crossed his face.

"Whose work is this?" He asked, inspecting the pile. Opening the first page, he read out the name at the top of the paper. "Maka Albarn... Ah this is the assignment I set you. This is impressive!" He flicked through quickly, skimming over the reports and essays "Very impressive indeed. In fact, this wasn't meant to be handed to me for another month. i'm curious as to why you did it all in one night."

Maka stared at Stein as she let herself sink down her chair until only the top of her head was visible above her desk.

"_A month?_" she whimpered quietly

"Well at least you have it all done! Now you can relax and work on your other classes" Stein said as he pushed the tower of books to one side.

Maka squeaked...

"_A month?"_

_((I apologise for the delay in updating, life's been a bit crazy recently and I've not had time to finish this on top of my coursework. Hope you've all stayed tuned and I hope you liked this chapter and the story so far._

_Ciao!))_


	7. Chapter 7

The classroom was almost silent. No sound other than the scratching of pen on paper could be heard. Stein lit a cigarette and leaned back in his chair. It was blatantly against the academy's rules, but the class daren't mention it. Maka lay with her head on her arms in a half asleep, half awake state, twitching occasionally. The silence remained heavy in the air. Broken by nothing.

The sound of Souls footsteps echoed through the empty hallways as he ran to class. At the cost of losing his footing for a moment, he slid round the next corner and bombed down the next hall. He cursed himself for forgetting to set his alarm. And now he was an hour late. "Stein's gonna put me in detention for sure this time" he thought as he swung round the last corner, nearly sending the janitor flying. He stopped just before the door and straightened up his jacket and headband. Taking a deep breath, he opened the door.

The sound of the handle mechanism clicking broke the silence in the room, sending Maka reeling out of her trace-like state and sitting bolt upright. Or rather, passing through upright, and continuing on a direct collision course with the floor. She scrambled back onto her seat and tried her best to act like nothing happened.

"Sorry I'm late. I guess I don't really have an excuse" Soul blurted. He could feel the eyes of everyone in the room piercing through him.

"Soul Evans." Stein slowly stated "You're an hour late. Academy procedure states that if a student is any more than 15 minutes late then they are to receive a detention. I think this counts as a very extreme case" he continued in his monotone voice as he reached for the detention slip pad "I'll see you tomorrow at the end of class. You can help me store the newest delivery of organs due to be dissected." The whole class shuddered at the thought of handling organs.

-Well, that doesn't sound too bad- thought Soul.

"And after that you can write me a 500 word report on why it's important to be on time to class" Stein finished as he walked over to Soul, sticking the detention slip in his headband.

"500 words? Come on!" Soul protested as he snatched the slip from his headband and read over it.

"Would you like me to make it a thousand?" Stein growled as he turned back round to face Soul. His glasses flashed in the change of light and a sadistic smile came over his face. Soul felt cold to his core and shivered. He managed to nod before he started looking for a seat, trying to get the image of steins smile out of his mind.

The only seat left available was next to the new girl, Alice. She was quiet and mainly kept to herself. Soul quietly took a seat next to the bespectacled, brown-haired girl and pulled out his books. After searching for a pen to no avail, he had no choice but to ask Alice for one.

"Hey" he whispered. No answer. "Hey! I'm talking to you!" still no answer, the girl was so focused on her work that everything else was shut out. Sighing, Soul poked her shoulder to try to get her attention. Alice jumped and turned her head towards Soul.

"C-can I help you?" She asked timidly, it wasn't often that she was spoken to by other students. Soul smirked cockily.

"Yeah, can I borrow a pen? I can't find one."

"So not only were you late, but you don't have a pen with you either?" Alice remarked. Soul huffed and slouched in his chair.

"Fine. Guess it's double detention for me then. I hope you're happy with yourself, I'm gonna have to~" Soul stopped as a pen was shoved under his nose by Alice. Soul slowly took it and thanked her before getting started on his work. Alice smiled and adjusted her glasses. She wondered why he wasn't sitting next to Maka. She was his partner after all, but she chose not to think about that and instead worry about stopping Soul cheating from her own report.

"Hey. If you're going to cheat off me, you can hand me back the pen" she hissed. Soul slowly slinked back to his seat and started scratching his head in confusement.

Maka hid her tears by pretending to sleep on her arms. Seeing Soul again tugged at what they used to have.

Silently, Maka let the tears flow and the emotion take over her.

And she remained like that until the bell rang for the end of class. She waited for everyone else to leave before raising her head. The room was silent once more and discarded paper riddled the desks.

Maka pulled herself upright and rested upon the back of her chair. Then she spoke.

"Soul, I can tell you're there. I can read your soul wavelength." She turned to see Soul sat non-chalantly on the desk behind her. Her eyes were redder now that she'd been crying, and Soul noticed it straight away.

"Maka... I~" Soul stuttered

"No. Don't. Just leave Soul. I don't wanna talk and I don't want to be partners." She said coldly. Soul would have argued. But the way Maka said what she had. He knew it would be pointless. Silently, he got down from the desk and left.

Maka slumped onto her desk once more. And this time, she stayed there.


	8. Chapter 8

The halls of the apartment complex were quiet. A distant thumb of a drum-beat came from further down the hall as Soul fumbled with his keys. Finally opening the door, he made straight for his room and closed the door. He sat at his desk and turned on his stereo. As the sound of heavy rock music filled the room, he leant back on his chair and let out a heavy sigh.  
It had been two days since he and Maka stopped being partners. The words still stuck in his mind. Hovering at the back of his head taking every chance they could to make themselves known again.

Soul had talked to Professor Stein about the ordeal. He had said that it would be best to find a new meister, and to keep up with classes. He also gave him a list of weapon-less meisters. It wasn't long before he had narrowed down to 2 candidates. Alice, who had leant him a pen once, and Andrej, the polish athlete. Thinking about the choice, Souls mind began to wander back to the days prior to his screw up with Kim. Walking hand-in-hand with Maka to and from classes. Exchanging notes between each other, describing what they wanted to do to each other when they got back to the apartment. The things they did to each other when they did get back to apartment. Soul snapped himself out of it and re-focused on choosing between Alice and Andrej. After half an hour of deciding. Soul had made his choice and crossed a final name from the list. All he hoped for was that they didn't reject him. Turning off his music, Soul walked lazily to his bed and fell onto it.

Blair screeched as Soul's body cam falling towards her. With the cat like reflexes that came naturally to her, she jumped from the bed towards the floor. Landing perfectly, she turned to Soul with her tail in the air.

"Hey!" she hissed "Why don't you watch where you're flopping yourself down!" She arched her back angrily, her fur standing on end.

"Sorry Blair, didn't see you. What were you doing in here anyway?" Soul asked "Don't you usually nap on Maka's bed?" His mind drifted once again to his private time with Maka. His heart ached at the thought of not seeing her as often.

"I needed to talk to you" Blair huffed as she relaxed her back and her fur flattened back down to the glossy black it usually was. "And you looked busy with that list so I left you to it" Blair nodded affirmatively. White smoke surrounded her feline form and grew up from the ground. When the smoke cleared, Blair stood in her busty, female form and straightened her hat slightly.

"What was the list anyway" Blair asked cheerfully as she took a seat next to Soul on the bed. She tilted her head sideways and let out a quiet "Meow" as she awaited her answer. Shifting over slightly, Soul sat up to give Blair more space. He sighed again as he struggled to contain his emotions. Picking someone else over Maka felt plain wrong to him.

"It was a list" he croaked "a list of meisters that need weapon partners". Blair gave him a look of sympathy as she put her hand onto his

"Hey silly, you'll be fine!" she was still trying to keep a positive attitude, even though she could see how torn Soul was about the whole thing. "You'll find someone eventually" she said as she gripped his hand comfortingly. Soul gave a wry smile but pulled his hand away. Rolling over with his back to Blair, he sniffed as he back a tear.

"Thanks." he answered shortly. Blair sighed and stood up, straightening her dress. As she reached the door, she paused and turned to Soul.

"Y'know, I hope you two become friends again. I hate seeing you both like this". No answer came but another sniff. Blair left the room, closing the door quietly behind her. Soul stared into space at the corner of his room and let a tear roll onto his pillow. Maka's smile flashed in his mind and another tear broke free of his eye. Before he knew it, tears flowed onto his pillow as he silently sobbed into the night. The gravity of the situation finally hit him and his heart felt like it had been pierced. He hated himself now more than ever.

Silently, he cried himself to sleep.


	9. Chapter 9

Shining just above the horizon, the sun made itself known as it rose. The darkness formed into long shadows which started to slowly retract as the sun grew higher. When it was fully visible above the horizon, the sun let out a long yawn. Opening its eyes, it immediately started it's deep, throaty laugh, signifying the dawn of a new day. The light seeped in through windows and flooded the streets. Room filled with light as people opened their curtains and started their days. But one set of curtains remained undrawn, the boy inside awake, but still in bed.

Soul stared n the direction of a poster. He wasn't looking at anything. Just staring. He groaned as he rolled over and gazed at the ceiling instead. After another 5 minute staring session, he decided to get up. Still in the clothes from yesterday, he looked into a mirror. Even in the morning gloom he could see that he looked terrible. He wiped his face with his hand in a futile attempt to wipe the tiredness away. He couldn't hear anyone in the bathroom, so he took his chance while he could and stripped down to his boxers, throwing the clothes he was wearing onto the floor in a messy heap. Opening the door, he checked the hallway for any signs of movement. The hall was brighter then his room and his eyes took time to adjust. When he was satisfied the coast was clear, he walked quietly to the bathroom and took a clean, white towel from the rack. Dropping his boxers, he locked the door and climbed into the shower. The sound of running water once again filled the apartment.

Maka sighed to herself as the sound woke her. She rubbed her eyes and sat up in bed, yawning and stretching as she went. She glanced to her bedside table and the list on top of it. She had been given it by Professor Stein and it listed every weapon without a meister in the entire academy. Most of them were the newer generations of weapons, guns mostly, and didn't appeal to Maka at all. One particular weapon caught her eye. A spear. The handle was subtly but ornately carved with complicated fractal designs and the blade itself swept gracefully down each side. Maka picked up a nearby pen and underlined it as a point of interest. She was used to using a scythe, she hadn't had experience with any other weapon, but she figured a spear wouldn't be too different. She lay the paper and pen back on the table and proceeded to get dressed. She threw her night clothes onto her chair and finally pulled on her sweater-vest. As she opened her bedroom door, she heard the shower shut off. She quickly closed it again. Seeing Soul was not something she felt she could handle today. She waited as his damp footsteps passed her door and finally relaxed as she heard his door shut behind him. She sighed and pushed her own door open, heading straight for the kitchen. She didn't feel like making breakfast today, so she grabbed a cereal bar and left for the academy.

Soul found some clothes in his dresser and pulled on his pants. He glanced down at the scar on his chest and winced as the pain came back to him, like an unwanted memory. After pulling on a t-shirt, he slipped out of his room and poured himself some cereal, suddenly becoming transfixed by the ingredients on the back of the box. Glancing at the clock, he wolfed down the last of his breakfast and threw on his jacket and shoes. Only just remembering his keys, he walked briskly down the corridor or the apartment complex, determined not to be late today. He still had to ask someone to partner up with him, and that was never easy. Unless there was a piano around. It made it easier last time. Still walking briskly, he approached the front doors of the academy. Just on time too, as soon as he stepped through the door the bell for first lesson chimed. With any luck, he could get there before his partner candidate. Filing in behind the wave of moving students, Soul made his way to the classroom.

He arrived just as the professor was closing the door. Side-stepping through the gap, he smirked at the impressive feat of agility he had pulled off. Right until the door closed on his trailing foot. Soul paused and his face dropped. His eyes watered up and stifled a whimper. Stein looked lazily down at the foot stopping him from closing the door.

"Oh, sorry Soul. I didn't see you there" he said lazily "Are you okay?". Soul nodded and kept his mouth shut. He knew if he opened it a pained squeal would come out. Stein opened the door a little, allowing Soul to drag his leg through. He limped over to the nearest desk and doubled over it, taking in a deep breath through his gritted teeth. When the pain subsided slightly, he limped over to a spare seat next to Andrej. Andrej smiled at Soul as he sat down and spoke with a heavy Polish accent.

"Are you alright? That looked like hurt very bad." he sympathised.

Soul groaned as he sat down "Yeah I'll be fine, thanks" he replied. Andrej was a tall, brown haired boy with a rather extravagant hair-style and bright, stylish clothes. He spoke with a slight lisp and a very sassy attitude and was known as the fashionista of the academy. Soul hoped he would agree to be his partner. When Stein allowed them to have a short break from studying, Soul finally plucked up the courage to ask him.

"Hey, Andrej" he queried "You're still partner-less aren't you?". Andrej looked up from his work and gave Soul a blank look.

"Yes. Why you ask?" he replied

"Well, I'm looking for one and I was wondering if you would take me up on the offer" Soul said in one breath. Andrej looked thoughtful for a second. Then scowled.

"No no." he said, waggling a finger in Souls face "I have no clothes that go with red and black. And scythes were so... last year. Unless you change colours, I no partner you.". Andrej picked up his pen and went back to his work "Czy ktoś wie o modzie te dni? Szczerze!**" he mumbled as he started to scratch down some more notes. Soul sat dumbfounded and headbutted the desk. He had another option, but he wasn't keen on it.

After class, Soul waited for the rest of the class to leave before limping off. As he walked through the door, a call came from beside him.

"Hey there Soul any luck with finding a new partner?" she teased. She was sitting behind Soul and Andrej that lesson, and Soul hadn't noticed her. She almost burst out into laughter when she heard Andrej's way of letting him down.

"Here to lecture me again? Geek?" Soul quipped back "What do you want? I'm busy". Alice raised an eyebrow and put a had on her hip.

"Well, you're not going to find another meister any time soon, so why don't we partner up? It's not like you have any other choice, is it?" She saw Soul's face drop as he tried to put her words into context. The penny dropped.

"Wait wha~?" Soul blurted as he thought back to the list "How did you know about that?"

"Professor Stein told me you were looking for a partner and that I was one of the candidates most likely to be chosen. So I figured if you're asking someone like Andrej, you're running low on people to partner with" she stated, smiling cockily at Souls attempts to piece it together. She could almost hear the cogs turning in his head. Soul tried to look for an argument against it but found nothing. Sighing, he nodded in agreement and stuck out his hand.

As Alice grabbed it, light burst from Soul's body as he transformed into his weapon form. The sudden change in weight took Alice by surprise. Dropping her books, she grasped the weapon with both hands and tried to hold the weight. She pulled upwards, trying to keep her balance, but ultimately, Soul's weight overpowered her efforts and she fell onto her back with a loud thud, causing teachers and students in the corridors to snap round and stare. Soul stayed silent from his spot on Alice's chest.

"Yeah we have some work to do" he finally sighed. All Alice could give in return was a squeak.

(**"Doesn't anyone care about fashion these days? Honestly!")

((Fun fact, I based Andrej off of the character profile of a Polish chicken. Don't ask.

"Two updates in 2 days? Are you mad!" I hear you call. And yes, yes I am, but I had no college today so I had nothing better to do. Enjoy!))


	10. Chapter 10

((Bumper chapter! Whoooooo! Hope you like this, It took me a few days to write and get everything in that needed to be in. As usual, leave any suggestions or comments in the review section ~Marshalmallow))

* * *

"Alice!" Soul shouted above the clang of metal-on-metal "Get your butt over here! I can't hold off on my own for much longer!". Light shone from Souls transformed arm, casting black and red reflections on the walls of the alley. He had formed it into a blade to defend against the sword wielded by his attacker. They were a weapon and meister pair on the verge of becoming a kishin. They were ranked low on the threat level, but so far, they'd put up a worthy fight for Soul. Alice however, was having trouble dealing with the situation. She had taken a hit from the swords hilt and doubled over from pain. Soul had saved her life by transforming and keeping the targets busy.

"Alice!" Soul yelled as he dodged another hit from the sword. Sparks flew from the wall as the blade travelled along it, showering the surrounding area.

"If I die? I'm going to haunt the crap out of you!" Soul said loudly as he rolled towards her, blocking once again to avoid having Alice's head end up on the floor. Pushing with his legs, he planted his feet in the attackers abdomen and sent him flying into a dumpster. -Should keep him busy for a few minutes- Soul thought. Alice was still doubled over with tears in her eyes, she was holding her shoulder, which had swelled significantly. Soul gave her no sympathy. If it Maka they'd already be fighting again. He pulled Alice up by the arm and turned her towards him forcefully.

"Get over it! You got injured in combat, it happens, but this is not cool! We're partners now, we need to work together, and you sitting on the floor crying while I keep them off of you doesn't sound like teamwork to me. Now get moving!" Soul said right to her face. Tears welled in her eyes even more as Soul's words sunk in. This was the first time she had performed combat outside of training and it was slightly overwhelming for her. Soul was right though. She had to snap out of it and start fighting again. She rolled her shoulder and heard it click back into place. She let out a moan of pain as the feeling of her bones realigning shot through her body. She raised a sleeve to her face and wiped her eyes before giving Soul a determined look. She grabbed his hand as he shone with electric blue light. Soul's body rearranged itself as he took his scythe form. Alice took hold of him with both hands and spun him, familiarising herself with the weight.

The attacker had managed to climb out of the dumpster by now. Wearing a banana skin on his head and a snarl on his face, he raised his partner above his head and shouted

"You god-damned kids!" he cursed. He had a heavy Irish accent and long, unkempt hair tied in a messy ponytail. There was a fishbone sticking out of it, but this was fairly recent addition. His weapon was a very plain looking sword with a silver strip running down the centre of the blade, only barely visible against the steel. He took a menacing step forward as he continued to shout obscenities.

"You kids think that you're the just and peaceful ones in the world because you follow your orders from some _freak_ in a mask" he spat at the mention of the shinigami "But we, we're the true just ones here" he jabbed a finger into his chest to emphasise the statement "And you're not going to stop us!"

"Does being 'true and just' mean you can kill people whenever you like?" Alice attempted to yell, but squeaked instead.

The attacker smirked "You're a little girl, you wouldn't understand. You can't even defend yourself! You have to get your boyfriend to save your ass". Soul and Alice protested their partnership simultaneously, getting annoyed at the presumption. Alice had heard enough, she glanced over to Soul's blade and tilted her head. Soul shone his reflection onto the blade and nodded, preparing his resonance. Alice grounded herself firmly and held soul horizontally in front of her.

The air around Alice's feet began to stir, kicking up dust and litter. Soul began to glow brightly as he passed resonance waves through to Alice, who returned them back. Alice's face showed immense concentration. They had never resonated outside of training and the pressure to perform was getting to her, breaking her resonance every now and again.

"Alice, I can't boost your resonance waves if they're not constant, concentrate!" Soul said through the link "We're almost there now, keep going". Alice concentrated more, letting out a low, constant growl as the link grew stronger.

-I hope this works- She thought to herself as she raised Soul above her head. As the resonance peaked, Soul yelled an order to go. Alice gulped and readied herself. She could feel the resonating in her own soul. It was a good feeling, but it was taking all she had to hold it there.

"The legendary skill of the scythe-meister" she shouted. "Witchhunter!". Soul's blade shone and grew. It took on a new shape and glimmered with resonance energy. Alice adjusted to the weight of the new form and took a lunge forward to the attackers. She swung in a horizontal path aimed at the waist. The attacker blocked with his sword and was pushed back on his feet. Somehow managing to hold his ground, Alice's swing cam to a stop. It was now just a battle of strength, and Alice had considerably less than the attacker. Soul attempted to send more waves to her, but Alice faltered and was sent flying by both the attacker and the rapid dissipation of resonance energy. She hit the ground on her back and groaned. -This is it- she though -this is the end-. Alice saw the attacker loom over her and raise his sword. She closed her eyes and turned her head.

The sound of blade piercing skin erupted and Alice screamed only to realise she wasn't hurt. She opened her eyes and looked at her attacker. He had a black blade sticking from his chest. Behind him stood Crona, holding one arm straight and holding it with the other.

"Please, d-don't hurt my friends" He stammered "I don't like dealing with that". He withdrew Ragnorok from the attacker and kicked his weapon. "Come out now, you can't hide, you need to pay for what you've done." The weapon didn't respond. Crona sighed and held Ragnorok pointing downwards. "Scream resonance" he said as he raised his arms. Ragnorok screamed and Alice covered her ears from the noise. Crona thrust down on top of the weapon, cutting through the steel and silver. A burst of yellow light escaped the evil weapon and formed a soul, floating above the ground. A short pause and the meister's soul followed. Both hung in the air before being devoured by Ragnorok. Soul walked over, limping slightly on his left leg.

"Crona? You saved our lives man, thanks" he looked at Alice laying on the floor, her facial expression said it all. She was petrified. Soul sighed and held out his hand. Alice grabbed it and pulled herself up. The three stood in silence. Soul looking at Alice, Crona looking at the floor and Alice looking shamefully at her feet. A minute passed until Crona shuffled his feet.

"Uh, if it's ok-kay with you guys, I'm gonna go home now... Is that okay?" he asked shyly. There was another moment of silence before Soul nodded. Alice was still staring at her shoes. Crona left in silence and the pair stood alone.

"Let's go home" Soul said, trying to hold back the anger he felt. The two walked home, but Soul walked 5 steps in front. If he was having doubts about Alice before, today only confirmed them.

When they eventually got back to the academy, they checked in with Lord Death and left. When they reached the front doors, Soul stepped in front of Alice and blocked her path.

"It's not working" he said shortly. "I'm not used to having an inexperienced partner, I shouldn't be forced to have one because they're the only option" his voice raised slightly "I'm not having my future as a death scythe placed in jeopardy because someone doesn't know how to fight! It's over." Soul let the words sink in. Alice was still looking at her feet. All she did was nod. She understood completely. Soul left in silence, and once he was out of sight, Alice broke into tears.

* * *

The rain poured down the streets, enough to cause the gutters to flow like a river. Soul held his arm up as a guard against the rain and sleet. Soaking, he finally made it to his apartment. Closing the door behind him, he rested against it. His hair seemingly glued to his face, he dripped as he walked towards the kitchen, grabbing a kitchen towel as he went to dry his face.

"Hey Soul" came Maka's voice from the couch. The tone wasn't what Soul would call friendly, but the fact she acknowledged his existence was a step in the right direction. He raised a hand in Maka's direction in way of greeting but neglected to look over to her while he dried his face. When he had finished, he took his drenched headband from his head and lay it on the counter. Glancing over at the couch, Soul could see a familiar brunette hairstyle resting with it's back to him. Soul looked hard this time and his face grew into a perplexed twist. He slowly stalked around the couch, still dripping slightly, until he saw the face of this hairstyle. To match his suspicions, the girl looked exactly like Alice, but she was different. Her legs were toned and she wore a short skirt that, along with her low cut top, didn't leave much to the imagination. Not taking his eyes off the girl, he took a seat opposite her.

"Well Maka" he said flatly "aren't you going to introduce our guest?". His eyes flicked to Maka, who seemed confused as to why Soul was so wary of the newcomer.

"Oh! This is Melody, she's my new weapon partner" Maka smiled, though Soul still refused to break his gaze.

"Melody huh?" he said slowly, swilling the words in his mouth as he tasted the name "You got a sister? _Melody_?". The girl shuffled uncomfortably in her seat, the other weapon's gaze was starting to unnerve her.

"U-uhm yes actually" she said as she flicked her fringe away from her eyes "her name is Alice, she's my twin". -Is he ever going to stop staring at me?- Melody thought as she shuffled backwards, seemingly trying to hide in the cushions. Soul thought for a moment. It could be possible. It had to be possible, she was sitting right in front of him.

"Soul?" Maka said abruptly "You're making a puddle, go change or something, I'm not cleaning up your mess again". Soul looked down at the now wet floor and grunted his agreement. He grabbed a towel from the bathroom and lay it on the floor before changing into some dry clothes. By the time he had finished, Melody was on her way out of the door. She waved a fleeting goodbye to Soul as Maka closed the door. As she did, she turned to Soul and crossed her arms.

"What the hell was that?" she asked

"I don't know what you're talking about" Soul smirked. He scratched the back of his head as he entered his bedroom and closed the door. Leaving Maka alone and just as confused as before.


	11. Chapter 11

The death room was quiet as the clouds contained within it swept low through the air. The unnatural light was almost painful to keep eyes open in and the air smelled like ozone. Soul stood with his hands held behind his back, almost like a soldier. Standing in front of him, Lord death loomed over Soul with his large and comical frame.

"Hmmm" came the high pitched voice of the Shinigami "It seems like you have no other choice. I'm going to have to agree with you" His voice was child-like and overly happy, but this wasn't a cause for concern. Soul had never known the Shinigami to be any other way.

"But" he drew out and took a slightly lower tone "I do feel that you should patch things up with your old partner, Meister Maka. Even at my position at the academy (I don't get out much), I can see that you two had" he paused and seemed to be looking for the right word for the situation. "Something. You two had something that made you work well as a team, and you should at least try to regain your friendship". The shinigami reflected for a moment on what he said, humming to himself absentmindedly and rocking slightly from side to side. When this continued, Soul had no choice but to snap him out of it.

"Uhh... Sir?" Soul mumbled "Sir?...Sir!" he repeated, louder this time. Lord death snapped out of his daze and returned attention to Soul.

"Sorry about that! I was in my own little world" he chimed "Now, about your situation, are you sure there are no other meisters willing to take you as a partner?" he tilted his head to the side in question.

"I'm sure, sir" Soul answered "They're either too inexperienced or flat-out don't want me".

"Then it appears you only have one option left." the reaper's voice returned to it's sing-song quality "You become your own meister, I will have Justin Law begin lessons with you tomorrow. Make sure you're there!". The pair finished with their formalities and Soul left, walking along the corridor lined with guillotines to the double doors that gave entry to the death room. Soul was looking forward to his training, he had always wanted to weild himself but never really had the chance to learn how to. But Lord Death also brought up a very good point, and Maka hadn't left his mind since they ended their partnership ad their relationship. Reflecting on the good times, Soul walked home, hoping it didn't start raining again.

To Souls delight, the sky was clear when he left the academy, with only a few clouds seemingly bothering the sun. The warm air found its way into Soul's jacket and immediately he felt the need to take it off. Folding it over one arm, Soul headed back to the apartment, passing many others enjoying the sun. He wondered what the others were up to, the only people he'd seen since he and Maka broke up were Kid, Liz, Patty and Crona, and he still felt like he wasn't exactly being welcomed back with open arms. Deciding to check the basketball court, Soul stuck his hands in his pockets and took a slow stroll towards them, passing more people enjoying the sun. As he approached, the court seemed quiet, in fact Soul almost considered not checking it. He stopped in his tracks and contemplated heading back home. It was only then that a familiar shout sent the silence scattering. Soul smirked to himself as he continued towards the courts, knowing exactly who was there. Black Star's voice carried over the court.

"Come on Tsubaki! Have another game! Come on, how about best 36 out of 70?". He was holding a basketball in his hands and looking towards an exhausted Tsubaki.

"I don't know Black Star" Tsubaki managed between deep breaths of air "You've already won 35 times, how about we just go home?". Black Star laughed and Tsubaki half collapsed into a heap on the floor. Soul started to take strong confident steps towards the pair.

"Hey Black Star! If Tsubaki doesn't wanna play, how about you duel me?" he announced as he reached them. Tsubaki looked up and smiled a greeting. Black Star just looked at Soul blankly.

"Oh." he stated "It's you". Soul looked at him and tilted his head

"What's the matter? We always used to play, right?". Black Star gave him another blank look before looking at the ground.

"Soul" he said, after a moments hesitation "Remember what you always told me? What you've drilled nto me ever snice we've been friends?". Soul gave him a confused look and shrugged slightly. Black Star continued

"You told me 'Cool guys don't cheat on their partners'" He looked Soul straight in the eye "And you cheated on Maka"

"Black Star, buddy, come on~"

"Maka wasn't just your partner though, was she?" Black Star interrupted. Soul tensed up. He had never seen Black Star act like this before "She was your best friend, and your girlfriend". Soul was taken aback by the sincerity of his words. There was an anger behind them. A minute went by where nothing was said. Even the wind seemed to stop blowing. Soul looked at the ground in front of him and stammered for words. When he failed to find anything to retort, he hung his head and walked from the court, tears forming in his eyes as the brutal reminder of what he had bounced around his head. He fought the tears back enough so they wouldn't stream down his face as he walked back to his apartment. By the time he got there, they had passed, but the feelings still remained. Heartbroken and feeling alone, he slumped into his room and buried himself under his covers.

In the darkness under his sheets, Soul thought about the times he had with Maka. Swimming at the beach and how long it had taken him to convince her to buy a bikini, Maka taking him shopping for clothes that he didn't like and vice versa. They'd spend all day in the sun and talk. Just talk, about anything that came to mind. But the thing Soul missed most, was the feeling of Maka's skin against his, and her lips on his own. He let out a strangled sigh as he thought about what they'd get up to on a long afternoon away from school. Back then, as long as he was with Maka, nothing else mattered. He felt complete, but now, he felt empty. He didn't realise just how much Maka meant to him until he lost her. Sighing again, he let his head emerge from the sheets. After his eyes adjusted, he saw Blair in her cat form sitting on his chair.

"You were thinking about her again, weren't you." she said softly. Soul didn't answer, but he let his gaze drop to an undefined point on his bedsheets. Blair leapt from the chair onto the bed and, taking a second to appreciate her gymnastics, nudged Soul's chin with her head.

"You'll be fine scythey-boy. You're just going to have to win her back!". She curled herself around and lay in front of Soul's eyes, looking into them as she spoke. "She's coming back to the apartment early today, in an hour in fact" she nodded "and she'll be in a bad mood, so anything you do that's nice will seem almost heroic in comparison!". Soul closed his eyes and nodded before opening them and looking confused.

"Wait, how do you know she'll be in a bad mood?" he mumbled. Blair smiled and tilted her head playfully.

"She's on a date with her Dad! She's never happy when she comes home from those". She had a point, Maka hated her father and having to spend more than an hour with him was torture for her, or anyone else for that matter. Soul didn't like the idea of using Maka's bad mood for his gain, but it seemed like he didn't really have a choice. Blair moved to a spot easily reachable by Soul's hand and purred as he stroked her. The pair discussed what best to do to get Maka in a good mood again for a while before springing their plan into action.

Soul grabbed his phone and took a deep breath as he wrote a message to his former meister. He told her he had some dinner ready for when she got home, and timed the message so that she would be half-way home when she received it. Hopefully her mood would improve slightly by the time she got home. Soul pocketed his phone and turned on his heel. He heard Blair whisper her pumpkin chant and stood in bewilderment as an apron flew towards him and tied itself around his waist. He gave Blair a quizzical look and received a wink in return as her tail pointed towards the oven, which rang it's bell to signal the time was up. Donning the oven gloves, Soul retrieved the piping hot lasagne from the opening and set it on the counter. He cursed as the heat penetrated through the ageing oven gloves and scorched his thumb, causing the dish to hit the counter with a clatter. Blair hissed at the noise before returning her attention to cutting the salad, using her magic as usual. Soul checked the time. Maka should be home any minute. The pair made the final preparations and began setting the table, which Blair became human for. Neatly arranging the cutlery and setting a single flower in a vase, Soul stood upright and turned to the door just as Maka came through the door. She had a frown on her face, but seemed in a generally bright mood.

"Oh" she exclaimed "this is... impressive" her frown eased slightly at the sight of the food, and a smirk formed over her face at when her eyes centred on Soul's apron. "Nice outfit" she teased as she walked over to the table. She brushed the petals of the flower with her fingers gently, smiling at the feeling of velvet petals against her fingertips.

"A coronation" her eyes gleamed "my favourite, and red too" she looked wistfully at the beautiful flower as Soul fumbled with the bow of the apron, Blair had to step in as he went red in the face. He stuttered slightly as he spoke to Maka for the first time.

"I, er, I made lasagne for us. Well, for you really I~" he was cut short by Maka holding up her hand as form of interruption. She smiled at him and took a seat and once Blair had finished taking off the apron, Soul joined her. Blair took her feline form and slunk off to Soul's bedroom. Maka picked up her fork and started to eat. Soul did the same and the pair began to eat in silence.

Soul glanced at Maka across the table, wondering if she was enjoying her meal. Whilst it wasn't the first time he'd cooked, it was the first time he felt like it mattered. Tasting it, he cursed himself mentally for not using more pepper, he knew Maka liked it. She seemed to be enjoying it none-the-less, causing Soul to relax a little.  
"So" he spoke up "How was your afternoon with your Dad?". He lifted another forkful of food to his mouth as he waited for a reply. Maka rolled her eyes

"Ugh, it was horrible. All he wanted to do was buy me clothes". Soul raised an eyebrow.

"Well that can't be that bad can it?"

"Pumpkin Bloomers."

"Ah." Soul chuckled he took a sip of water. Maka smirked and waved her fork at Soul in a playful manner

"Hey your taste in clothes is barely any better" she thought back to the shopping trips the two had taken together, and the clotehs Soul would pick out for her matching his own. Soul was thinking of the same thing. The two exchanged a shy look and a wry smile before continuing to eat. After a while, Soul lay down his cutlery.

"Maka" he croaked before clearing his throat "Maka? I'm sorry for how I acted over the past week. It wasn't fair on you at all". Just by saying this, Soul felt a weight lift off his shoulders. The fact he could talk to her openly like this felt amazing. Maka sighed before smiling silghtly.

"It's okay, Soul. Honestly. We both said things we regret but it's in the past now. No use dwelling on it huh?" she smiled and started to drink. Soul sat dumbstruck. It wasn't the response he thought he'd get. Eventually, he smiled and continued eating, butterflies forming in his stomach. A question popped into his mind at that moment, and he saw it best to ask it now.

"How are things with..." he struggled to remember the name, "Megan? Mary?"

"Melody?" Maka interrupted

"Yeah that's it" he said sheepishly

"Oh they're great!" She smiled "She's a halberd, it's not too different from a scythe so it was easy to transfer the techniques". As she finished, she took another swig of water. "How about your training with Justin? I heard from someone that you were learning to wield yourself". Soul was surprised at how fast she had found out, but then again, she was the daughter of Death Scythe, and she had spent the whole day with him.

"Actually I haven't had any real training yet, but I have been teaching myself for a while" he said as he transformed just his hand into a red and black blade. Maka looked impressed and nodded her head slightly

"Alright, nice one" she said as Soul's hand formed back to normal.

"Yeah I'm hoping that Justin'll be able to show me how to make it run down the side of my arm" he gestured with his other hand from his wrist to his elbow, "seems like a pretty cool thing to be able to do". Maka smiled at him and wished him luck as she placed her cutlery on her empty plate. After complimenting Soul on the food, she skipped intoher bedroom with the excuse that she needed to study. Soul did the dishes and entered his own bedroom. Blair was sitting (fully clothed for once) on his bed.

"So, how'd it go?" she chimed as he closed the door.

"Keep your voice down" Soul replied in a hushed tone "Maka's in her room. But yeah, we're talking again. Thanks for your help Blair, couldn't have done it without you". Blair meowed in appreciation and left his room as a cat. Sitting where Blair once was, he heard the crumple of a paper bag as he lay down. Searching behind him, he brought the bag onto his lap and checked the contents. It was Maka's favourite perfume. A note attached to the side read: "Might be a good idea to keep this, just in case you become really good friends again." There was no name signed, but a pawprint sat in the corner of the page. Soul smiked to himself and placed the bag in a drawer in his desk. Stripping off his clothes, he closed the curtains and jumped into bed, finally smiling.


End file.
